Isloria

Isloria is a high fantasy world setting currently being crafted by author Tom Brown. Work on the setting, and story, first began in 2009, and has proceeded gradually ever since. The entire project is dedicated to the memory of Tom's mother, Phyllis Brown, who passed away on 9 October 2020.

Overview
Isloria is the most easterly of the Five Realms of the world of Achirion, and the one most distant from any other in comparison to the other four. In this regard, it is considered somewhat isolated. It is also the only realm to be unified under a single government.

Climate
Isloria has a climate characterised by mild winters and cool summers. The most extreme temperatures are found in the far north and far south, which are the coldest and warmest regions of the continent, respectively. The majority of the continent has around of 179 days of precipitation annually, on average receiving a total of 30 inches of rain per year. Spring is the driest season and autumn is the wettest.

Flora and fauna
Animals and plants. Common, uncommon and rare species.

Assembly of Representatives
The legislative council of the Republic, the Assembly is the supreme political authority in the Republic. It is responsible for making laws, declaring war, raising taxes and providing public money for projects and activities while overseeing its proper expenditure, and setting the regulations by which the government and military function. The Assembly has 185 members popularly elected by all citizens within their district every five years using the first-past-the-post method. Members are not term-limited but must be 25 years old and have lived in the district they seek to represent for at least 10 years at the time they file to run for election.

Works Office
At present, the key figures in the central government are -


 * Yaela Goodwill, Grand Secretary
 * Hillan, Prince of Beverstone (Josh Dallas)
 * Rhodan, Prince of Waydon (Tom Hopper)
 * Kethris Halded, Lord Steward (TBD)
 * Polbier Levri, Lord Chamberlain (TBD)
 * Lenseph Demose, Secretary Imperial (Charles Dance)

Regional
The republic as a whole is divided into 31 provinces, each overseen by a governor, who is elected by the people of that province to a five-year term that is renewable once.

Municipal
Every city, town, and village within the republic is led by a popularly elected board of aldermen.

Guild of Arcanists
The arcanist society of the Republic, operating under an official charter that has been in place since the days of the empire and is subject to renewal every ten years. The guild has four primary responsibilities - to identify and train young arcanists, to seek and acquire magical items and texts for study and preservation, to identify and neutralize arcanists who violate the law so that they may face justice, and to offer a wide range of arcane services to the empire and its people. It is led by a senior arcanist known as the Magister-General. Its headquarters is Capvering Hold, located in the Military District of Highspire, the capital city of the Republic. The current leader of the guild is Violette Humilio, who has served in this capacity for the last 24 years. She is widely regarded as the single most powerful arcanist on the continent.

The guild has four ranks (from lowest to highest) - Apprentice, Journeyman, Adept, and Master. Arcanists of the ranks of adept and master can be addressed by the honorific of "Magister".

Green Banner
Formally the Companions of the Order of the Green Banner, this honour society was established by the first Grand Secretary of the Republic shortly after its founding. While anyone can nominate a citizen for membership, only the Grand Secretary can appoint a person to its ranks, and this only after the nomination is reviewed and approved by the Assembly. Membership in the order is limited to 250 persons. Several of the Republic's most prominent military officers and officials have been members of the order, as have many of its most legendary historical figures.

Religion
Monotheistic or polytheistic, beliefs, traditions and rituals.

Greater

 * God of the sun, music, and time

Intermediate

 * God of plants and nature
 * God of fate

Minor

 * God of death
 * God of the moon
 * God of weather
 * God of agriculture
 * God of war
 * God of wisdom


 * agriculture, animals, earth, evil, good, nature, oceans, rulership, seasons, sky, sun, plants, war, darkness, death, fate, fertility, fire, fortune, hunting, light, love, magic, metalwork, mischief, moon, music, prosperity, redemption, weather, thunder, trade, wind, wisdom, arts, children, competition, crafts, dawn, disease, guardianship, healing, justice, lightning, poetry, marriage, messengers, peace, prophecy, strength, time


 * God of innovation and order
 * God of nature and chaos

Source
In each of the Five Realms, magic comes from a distinctive source. The wellspring of arcane energies in Ilunar is known as the Font of Conjunction. From it, magical energy suffuses the land and enriches it with power, creating a pervasive, interconnected web of arcane energy known as the Ambience. Unfortunately for most, only a select few have the ability to harness and utilize this energy. Arcanists are born; they cannot be made, and it is estimated that only one in every 1,000 people is born with “the Gift” as this ability is known. There are no definitive formulae to explain how a Gifted child is chosen. Two mundane parents can have a Gifted child, or two Gifted parents can have a dozen mundane children. It is commonly believed that the decision of who is Gifted and who is not is made by Yion, the god of magic and knowledge, according to his own counsel.

Unknown to all but the members of the Incantrium itself, as well as a few within the royal government, the Font is located in a cavern system deep beneath Capvering Hold itself. The location is heavily secured and only a few know how to access it.

Unbinding
For those born with the Gift, in their fourth or fifth year they experience an event known as the Unbinding. This event refers to the point at which the youth’s own arcane resonance becomes fully connected to the Ambience itself, resulting in a burst of considerable magical power. It is typically triggered when a child encounters a potent arcane energy source but can also result from exposure to an event inducing great stress or trauma. The event manifests itself in many different ways, such objects around the person may suddenly begin to float, or the item they’re holding will inexplicably burst into flames. This event gives off a significant amount of energy, which will be detected by other arcanists. At this point, two representatives of the Incantrium will be dispatched to find and meet this child and their parents. They will explain what has happened, provide any necessary assistance with correcting any damage that has occurred as a result of the Unbinding, and will then make arrangements to take the child for training.

Training
It is required by law that all Gifted children be taught how to properly use their magical powers, for their own welfare as much as that of the civilian populace. The child will be brought to the nearest Incantrium chapter house, where they will “take the novitiate”, as the ten-year regime of arcane education is known. During this time, a magister will be assigned as the apprentice's instructor, responsible for ensuring they receive all the training they will need. They will then enter a small group of anywhere from three to ten other apprentices. The education the Incantrium provides is rigorous and demanding, but it ensures each apprentice is prepared to address concerns both magical and mundane. Aside from their training with magic, they are also taught writing, reading, arithmetic, botany, geology, and several other subjects. Once the ten-year period is complete, every apprentice arcanist a ritual known as the Trial of the First Seal or the Journey to the Horizon. In this, they drink a special chymical mixture that induces a realistic hallucination unique to the individual. Within this experience, the novice must face their innermost fears and overcome them, as “an arcanist who cannot defeat self-doubt and rise to the moment can never truly accomplish all they are meant to.” While in this hallucinatory state, apprentices are supervised by a magister and a healer. The trial has three possible outcomes. The first, and most common, is that the apprentice successfully completes the trial and is welcomed into the order as a journeyman arcanist in a celebratory ceremony. The second outcome, which is very rare, is that an apprentice fails their trial and suffers a mental break, which causes their connection to the Ambience being severed, which results in them losing the capacity to wield magic and becoming what is known as "Null". Those who experience this outcome will spend a mandatory period of time under the supervisor of healers before being returned home to their families. The third, and rarest outcome, is that an apprentice falls victim to the hallucination’s seeming reality and is driven incurably insane. The unfortunate few who fall victim to this outcome, known as "suffering the Delirium", are put away where they cannot harm themselves or others and cared for by highly specialized guardians.

Anti-Magic Sentiments
There are some who fear magic and those who wield it. Wild claims of unchecked natural disasters, crazed fanatics driven mad by careless research, and even invasions of otherworldly beings from a different plane are among the various dangers those fearful insist arcanists will one day call down on the magically talented and the mundane alike. None of these claims have yet come true, however, and that does not stop the accusations, but those who feel so strongly against magic and those who use it must be mindful not to violate laws against libel and slander.

Myths, legends and folklore
Things like the Black Fleet, Howling Well, etc.

Names
Castleside - Bankhearth - Caskilot - Highspire - Hollomith - Spellshore

Darvom - Odrit To - Emrel - Adril Tan - Gengrim Od - Loncror Ghur - Modren Zel

Revision
At its pinnacle, the nation is led by its emperor (or empress regnant). While their rule is absolute, they are advised by a council of advisors that handle routine administration and are involved in matters of diplomacy, defense, finance and economics, law and justice, security, and public welfare. Members of the council deal with national and individual interest matters, issues proclamations in the sovereign's name, and supervise the courts and law enforcement. While the council can make decisions, the sovereign can veto them without question.

The principal officer of the council is the secretary imperial, who serves as the sovereign's most senior advisor and is de facto head of government. The daily business of the government is divided between several numerous important bodies.

At present, the key figures in the central government are -


 * Yaela I, Empress of Ilunar
 * Hillan, Prince of Beverstone (Josh Dallas)
 * Rhodan, Prince of Waydon (Tom Hopper)
 * Kethris Halded, Lord Steward (TBD)
 * Polbier Levri, Lord Chamberlain (TBD)
 * Lenseph Demose, Secretary Imperial (Charles Dance)